Retention of crispness of French fries and other foods is of great concern for take-out food operations which package the food pieces, such as French fry strips, after finish frying, into various types of packages for transport to consumers' homes. While being transported home, such foods are subjected to conditions of high heat and humidity in the packages. The result is re-hydration of the batter on the surface of each food piece and, consequently for example, an undesirably limp, soggy and tough French fry. Various procedures have been proposed for extending the crispness-holding quality of French fries after finish frying.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,639 relates to a procedure for extending the crispness-holding time of French fries through application of a pre-coating containing a hydrocolloid prior to coating the strips with a batter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,759 relates to a procedure whereby potato strips with increased crispness are obtained by coating the strips prior to par-frying with an aqueous slurry containing chemically modified, ungelatinized potato starch, chemically modified, ungelatinized corn starch, and rice flour.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,227 relates to coating potato strips, prior to deep frying, with a coating of high amylose starch for the purpose of increasing the crispness of the strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,410 discloses application of a glaze coating of hydrolysed starch with a DE of less than 12 at pH levels of 5.5-8.5, to increase the crispness of French fry strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,944 relates to use of a batter mix containing a leavening agent, a blend of starch and high amylose starch, dextrin and a food gum to increase crispness.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,741 discloses that strips coated with a slurry of corn flour, corn starch and low solubility dextrin prior to par-frying yields a product which, upon re-frying, exhibits increased crispness.
These prior procedures have met with qualified success in the food processing industry. All of these procedures appear to address the need for a French fry with improved crispness over an extended period of time. However, they all only address the need for enhanced or extended crispness under conditions found in fast-food and eat-in restaurants, e.g. where French fries or other food products are either served immediately upon reconstitution, or held under sophisticated holding stations and/or operating procedures until served. None of the patents address the loss of crispness of food products, either coated or uncoated, when they are subjected to the high heat and humidity conditions imposed by take-out restaurant operations. There is, therefore, a need for a means to extend the duration of crispness of take-out food products under take-out food conditions.